Think of it as a takeout dinner with a cowboy twist.
On Nov. 7, the Cochrane-based Stockmen’s Memorial Foundation will hold its annual beef dinner and auction. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fundraiser will be held in a virtual format.
“Usually, we have a big dinner at the Cochrane RancheHouse,” said Executive Director Scott Grattidge. “However, with the restrictions of COVID this year, we’ve changed it up a bit and are having a Skip the Dishes, cowboy-style [meal]. You can pick up a gourmet beef supper to go and then enjoy our auction online.”
The meals, supplied by catering company Gourmet to Go, can be picked up at the Cochrane RancheHouse Nov. 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. or Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Grattidge said the auction will open Nov. 5 at smflibrary.ca and close the evening of Nov. 7
The dinners cost $28 each, he added, and will include Alberta beef cuts with mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, caesar salad and a dessert.
“The idea is to enjoy the meal, either with a couple of close friends or your family in your own home,” Grattidge said. “Then, you can turn on your computer and bid online and watch the auction online.”
Items up for auction include a variety of western-themed art, clothing and artifacts, as well as items like chainsaws and gravel loads. Grattidge said the auction also includes gift baskets and coupons to various Cochrane businesses.
Proceeds from the dinner and auction will support the foundation. Grattidge said the annual dinner and auction typically raises between $25,000 and $40,000.
“We’re just looking for a way to create some camaraderie and western spirit and some fun, and do it in a safe way,” he said. “This is our creative way of trying to go back to the roots of western hospitality in a digital, COVID world.”
Stockmen's Memorial Foundation has governmental origins, Grattidge said. The foundation was formed in 1980 by an act of legislation by the Alberta government to commemorate the province’s livestock heritage. The foundation steward historical ranching artifacts, including hundreds of boxes of cancelled brand files for horses and cattle. Grattidge said the foundation received the cancelled brand files from the Ministry of Agriculture.
“It used to be, if you had a cattle or horse brand, it was like a driver’s license – you had to renew them every year and if you didn’t, they were cancelled,” he said. “At the time we were formed in 1980, we inherited 154 banker boxes full of cancelled brand files, so it’s kind of the history of Alberta and its early beginnings of the different ranching families who may have had a brand.”
Many ranchers still visit the Stockmen's Memorial Foundation just to see the cancelled brands, Grattidge said, or to track their family history.
“There are specific rules and if you want a specific symbol or a neat design, you can’t get one unless it was registered prior in Alberta,” he said. “People will come and look at the dozens of brand books we have, flipping through them looking for a brand they’d like to re-register.”
The foundation also boasts a library and archives, with literature on western Canadian history and ranching, as well as a museum and art gallery. The foundation is housed in the Cochrane RancheHouse, and is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Friday.
According to Grattidge, those interested in taking part in the dinner and auction should call 403-932-3782 or email [email protected]. The library will be open starting Nov. 3, he added, so people can walk through and see some of the items that will be auctioned.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
